Total Surrender (The Sinful 1)

“Not for me to say.” He put the phone to his ear, waited a few beats, then spoke to whoever picked up the line. “It’s done. We have her. ETA in ten minutes.”

He disconnected the call, and Arabella was at least grateful that he stayed to his side of the back seat. Clearly, the money awaiting him was far more enticing than messing around with her. “Where are you taking me?”

He smirked at her. “It’s a surprise.”

Asshole. Arabella took note of her surroundings as the car drove to the outskirts of the city, the direct opposite of Gavin’s place, or even her father’s, which she found disconcerting. She still had her cell phone, and keeping it down low near her door, she tried to swipe it open so she could at least try to text Maddux to reassure him that she was okay. Or at least she was for the moment.

“Don’t do it,” the guy next to her said, his voice sharp with warning. “Put your phone on your lap so I can see it, along with your hands.”

Not wanting to test him, she did as she was told, though she was surprised that he hadn’t confiscated the device. A few minutes later, they arrived in a lower-income neighborhood and pulled up to a house that was clearly in need of repair. The garage door opened for them when they turned into the driveaway, and the man in the front seat of the car pulled into the space. A moment later, the garage door sealed shut behind them, and Arabella swallowed back the apprehension threatening to overwhelm her.

Scar Face opened his door, slid out, and glanced down at her. “Out,” he ordered, indicating with a hand motion that she was to vacate the vehicle from his side of the car, not her own.

She slid across the seat, and as soon as she was standing in the dark, dank garage, he grabbed her arm and pushed her toward a door that opened as they approached. Standing on the threshold was Gavin. She couldn’t say she was shocked, but she had no idea why he’d bring her to such a dilapidated place, and that’s what concerned her the most.

Once she was shoved into the house and into an outdated kitchen that needed a major overhaul, Gavin and the other man made a quick monetary exchange. Payment for her delivery out of the way, Gavin closed and locked the door with an interior key before turning to face her, an insolent smile on his face as he brandished a gun from the back waistband of his pants.

She sucked in a startled breath as he pointed it directly at her, showing her he meant business. Fear wrapped itself around her, but the last thing she wanted to show Gavin was weakness. But seeing him with a gun directed at her? Jesus, her heart was racing a mile a minute.

“Ahhh, Arabella,” he said in a smooth, calm, almost affectionate tone. “So nice of you to join me here.”

She narrowed her gaze at him, a little unnerved by his weird behavior, not to mention having no idea what he intended. “I was kidnapped right off the street by a shady-looking man. You didn’t give me much of a choice but to join you here.”

It was like watching the flip of a switch as Gavin went from civil to antagonistic. “And Maddux isn’t giving me much of a choice, either,” he snapped.

She had no idea what he was referring to. Or what would make him feel the need to direct the barrel of a gun at her. “What are you talking about?”

Gavin inclined his head toward an area with an old, beat-up couch and two worn wooden chairs. “Come with me into the living room so we can have a little chat.”

When she didn’t move, he nudged her in the side with the weapon, forcing her to walk in that direction. Trying desperately to keep her panic at bay, she followed him into another room. The curtains were drawn over all the windows, and while there was one lamp on, it was dark and felt very secluded inside the house. From what she could tell, the two of them were alone, which kicked up her anxiety a few notches.

“What is this place?” she asked, turning around to face him again. She still held her cell phone, but she tried her best to keep it out of sight. It was the only lifeline she had. “And why would you bring me here?”

He gave her a grin that seemed borderline psychotic. “Why, you’re my catnip to lure the beast to his demise.”

He was beginning to sound like a madman in a cartoon except this was real life and that gun probably had very real bullets. Knowing she needed to keep calm and buy time, she kept talking. “Why do you want Maddux here?” She shook her head in confusion. “Because of the debt and asset situation?” It was the only thing that made sense, but his tactic seemed extreme.

“No, that’s your father’s petty issue with Maddux,” Gavin said as he picked up the bottle of whiskey off a small wooden table and poured himself a generous amount. “My problem with that asshole is much bigger than that. You see, it’s been brought to my attention that he’s digging around in places that he shouldn’t and that aren’t any of his fucking business.”

He was talking in riddles. “Digging around in what places?”

“The organization your father and I work for.” He took a long swallow of the alcohol and didn’t so much as wince as the fiery liquid made its way to his stomach.

She frowned, trying to make some kind of sense of what he was saying. “You mean Addingwell Financial?” Why would Maddux concern himself with the company Gavin and her father worked for?

Gavin exhaled a long-suffering sigh, as if he was dealing with someone dense. “It’s all a front, Ari. For organized crime. Your father and I have always worked for the mafia, and Maddux has taken it upon himself to make it his fucking crusade to expose and take down the organization. He’s been at it for years, but now he’s getting close to threatening my livelihood, and it’s time to get rid of him for good. And this hellhole is a little investment I made just for this occasion. A few gunshots in this part of the neighborhood won’t be a cause

for concern.”

Arabella’s stomach cramped at the realization of just how serious Gavin was about his threat against Maddux and his deranged plans to kill him. “Where is my father?” she demanded, doing everything she could to beat back the fear clawing at her insides. “Does he know about me being here? He couldn’t have agreed to any of this.”

Gavin tossed back the rest of the whiskey and slammed the empty glass down on the table, making Arabella jump from the sharp noise in the too quiet house. “Yes, your father knows you’re here,” he said, his eyes glazing over as the considerable amount of alcohol he’d just consumed in such a short period of time started making its way through his system. “No, I can’t say that he agreed to this plan of mine. In fact, he was adamantly against it, but he’s an old man who no longer has the capacity to do the kind of dirty work that needs to get done in this business. He’s gone all soft on me and has decided to grow a conscience, despite all the blood he already has on his hands.” Disgust laced Gavin’s voice.

“And as for where he is . . .” He walked over to what looked like a coat closet and unlatched the lock securing it closed. “Well, he’s already here, actually. Why don’t we have him join the party?”

Gavin opened the door, and seeing wooden stairs heading down to a dark lower level, Arabella realized that they led to a basement.

“Get up here, old man,” Gavin called out, his tone rude to a man who’d always been good to him.